Brunel's Viaduct over Chippenham - major repairs

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From The Gazette and Herald

THE Grade II listed Chippenham railway arches are undergoing major repairs as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan. Repairs to Brunel's railway arches will finish in spring.

The viaduct, where New Road meets Marshfield Road, is one of the town’s best-known landmarks and has been partly fenced while work is underway.

A spokesman from Network Rail said: “The natural deterioration of the Bath stonework and original brick construction is such that some parts of the structure are crumbling, which in some instances has required the closure of adjacent roads and footpaths. These works will address those areas that are most in need of repair.”


The work, which will be finish in spring, includes the removal of vegetation, the replacement or repair of damaged bricks and Bath stone, and the repair of cracks through the structure.

The nine-arch viaduct, which has limestone on the north side and brick on the south, was built in 1841 to carry Brunel’s Great Western Railway over the town.

[SandTEngineer]

...now, I wonder who let the vegetation grow to cause the problems in the first place.....

[Red Squirrel]

...as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan...

Shouldn't this be covered by the Raliway Maintenance Plan? Wossat? Oh, I see...

[GBM]

"Not us guv. Blame our cutbacks on our paymaster" 

[TonyK]

For it to have lasted for over 170 years is testament to the strength of the design. I shall doff my stovepipe hat in deference. With modern methods of fixing it, it should be good for another 20 years or so. 

[grahame]

...now, I wonder who let the vegetation grow to cause the problems in the first place.....

Doesn't it rather depend on who let it get into the state such the vegetation could take hold

For it to have lasted for over 170 years is testament to the strength of the design. I shall doff my stovepipe hat in deference. With modern methods of fixing it, it should be good for another 20 years or so. 

Prior to 1948, it was the responsibility of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) who owned the track as well as the trains
from then until 1994, it was British Railways
for the next 8 years - to 2002, it was Railtrack
and in the recent past it has been Network Rail
As I understand it, some (but perhaps not enough) people and expertise has been passed down, so that each acquiring body in turn really shouldn't have been walking in with any doubt as to what they were taking on.

[SandTEngineer]

Having worked for three of those companies (no, not the first one ) I could tell you from frontline experience where it was allowed to go to pot, but I'll let you guess.....

[SandTEngineer]

Now then I wasn't aware of this (but might have missed it if we discussed it elsewhere):
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/network-rail-vegetation-management-review-valuing-nature-a-railway-for-people-and-wildlife

[grahame]

Now then I wasn't aware of this (but might have missed it if we discussed it elsewhere):
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/network-rail-vegetation-management-review-valuing-nature-a-railway-for-people-and-wildlife

More of a weekend read than a bedtime one.   Railways and canals are certainly nature corridors as well as train an boat ones ... a subject I've seen before, but nor sure if we have a thread ... best I could come up with was http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=14268.msg157553#msg157553.  But there are community rail groups encouraging bee keeping on (suburban / inner city? ) platforms to use the corridors.